The Case of the Lost Ferrets
by Demosthenes23
Summary: Note: I like the sounds of this title for some reason even though it has nothing to do with the story. I can't figure out why I like it so much. An incredibly handsome young man has an unexpected rendezvous with a beautiful stranger. For anyone who doesn't know, rendezvous means secret meeting. I learned that from Henry. Also, cochon means pig. That parrot was very silly.
1. The lady in red

**Author's note: The underlined words were supposed to be crossed out as if on a typewriter but that special feature didn't work with this so I made due the best I could.**

I never thought it could happen to me. Just last Sunday, I was in the park to feed the ducks...swans when a young lady approached me. I found her most beguiling, and she was indeed, entranced with me.

"What's your name?" she whispered sweetly in my ear.

"George Crabtree...Corge Grabtree," I replied without hesitation. "And your name, miss?"

"That's not of import," she said winking mischievously. "Follow me, Corge."

Without waiting for an answer she began to walk away from me, her red dress flapping in the wind. Clearly I had to find out what was going on, so I followed her.

"Where are we going, miss?" I asked.

She stopped walking momentarily and placed a finger to my lips. I was surprised by the callused nature of it. She didn't look like a labourer of any sort, rather the opposite.

"Don't you worry your pretty little head about that, Corge," she said smirking. "You're going to like the surprise, trust me."

"If you say so," I muttered, experiencing the beginnings of unease.

All my years at the precinct...courthouse made me wary of this mystifying stranger. It was never a good idea to wholly trust anyone, especially when it came to the suspects...clients of my practice.

However, that feeling was short lived. For when she next took my arm in hers, I suddenly lost all sense of danger. I was too enraptured by her touch to question her motives. After all, she was an elegant woman, what harm could possibly befall me?

We exited the park in silence and into a shady looking side street. The further we ventured into this area, the more alarmed I became.

Sensing my distress she coaxed, "It's all right, Corge, everything's just fine."

And then for good measure she stroked my face a few times. Once again, she succeeded in putting me at my ease and we continued on. Several minutes later we entered a run down apartment building.

"Do you live here?"

In response she simply smiled and led me up three flights of stairs. At the end of the hallway, she retrieved a key from her purse and slowly opened the door, as if she were trying to build up suspense. She achieved this task and then some. Finally the room was revealed to me.

I was underwhelmed by the sight. It was a regular looking room, full of many of the expected objects, though some were a little more worse for wear than I was accustomed to.

"Why have you brought me here?"

She took me over to the bed and I began to get excited.

"Get undressed," she commanded.

I hastened to comply with her request. First I removed my police jacket...finely tailored jacket, then I kicked off my boots...Italian leather shoes and finally I dispensed with my trousers. I stood there in nothing more than my long johns. I looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to follow my lead.

"Keep going," she breathed seductively.

Somewhere in the back of mind I knew that I shouldn't, that I should get out of there and quickly at that, but at her ravishing voice, the thoughts turned to dust. I slipped out of my underwear and let it fall to the floor. Now that I was stark naked, some common sense was coming back to me and I felt a little uncomfortable.

I covered my private area with my hands and mumbled nervously, "Now what?"

"Now," she said, eyes ablaze, pushing me backwards onto the bed, "we have some fun."

Little did I know what that would entail.


	2. Let's play

I lay on the bed limply waiting for something to happen. The unusual woman just stared at me from the bedside, unnerving me with her bright hazel eyes.

I began to get self conscious again and tried to get up, but she laid a firm hand to my bare chest and uttered softly, "You're not going anywhere," and I was instantly immobilized.

Then she straddled me, still fully clothed and kissed my neck a few times. I forgot all intent of leaving and tried to touch my lips with hers. For awhile she avoided them but then they made first contact and an overwhelming sense of bliss took hold of me. We explored each others mouths for what felt like eternity but which was likely only seconds.

My hands were deeply immersed in her luscious brown hair until she pulled them back and away from her. The next thing I knew I felt something cold and metallic sliding across my wrists. I opened my eyes at the same instant that she clicked the handcuffs in place.

"What are you doing?" I asked dumbly.

She smirked at me again, got off my naked body and walked over to the closet. It was then that I realized the implications of my situation and I started to fear what would happen next. I was her hostage and she was my kidnapper. She was free to do with me as she pleased since I could not break free from my bondage, no matter how hard I tried. A disturbing thought crossed my mind then.

Was this woman one of those people who revelled in the domination of men?

When I saw what she was holding, I was momentarily relieved. It was not a baton...whip of any sort, it was a camera. I groaned inwardly, knowing that this could lead to no good. What a fool I had been! As if reading my mind, she made eye contact and smiled evilly. She took her time setting up the stand and fixing the camera to it properly.

"Stop this right now!" I ordered, struggling weakly. "Let me go!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that," she said as she ducked behind the black curtain and snapped off the first shot. "You've been a very naughty boy who needs to be punished."

"What are you talking about?" I yelled, finally finding some strength again. "You're the one who lured me here in the first place!"

"Oh, I'm not talking about this current situation," she said as she took another shot, "I'm talking about one from a few months ago."

I hadn't the foggiest notion of what she was going on about. "Are you trying to blackmail me?"

"Well, aren't you the observant one?" She took a third shot and said, "That's better. You stopped struggling. That one should come out very nicely."

This infuriated me and I yelled, "I demand to know what's going on!"

"As you wish," she said, coming out from behind the curtain. She dragged a chair over to the bedside and sat down on it, backrest forward, hanging her arms over the edge. "You see, you had a case a few months ago. The Felton case."

I thought back to a young man who had been convicted of murdering his wife. He was due to be hung in a few days time.

"What of it? I have many such cases!"

"Wilbert Felton is my dear friend."

"That is regrettable but that still doesn't explain why I'm being treated this way! He chose to break the law! He should be expected to face the consequences of his actions!"

"I would agree whole-heartedly...if he was guilty."

"What?" I said, eyes wide, "What do you mean? Of course he was guilty! All the evidence was there!"

"Evidence that you planted," she said calmly, walking her fingertips across my belly. "Do you deny it?"

"Yes! I deny it most vehemently! I've never done such a thing in my life!"

"You're a very good actor, I almost believe you."

"I'm not acting, I'm telling the truth!"

"How do you explain the discrepancies then?" I stared at her uncomprehending. "The initial report suggests that someone much shorter committed the crime. Then all of a sudden that detail disappeared and Wilbert's height was a match to the angle of the wound inflicted. On top of that, no fingermarks were found on the weapon, yet you put forward evidence to the contrary during the hearing."

"I have no idea what you're talking about! I've never heard of any of this! And besides which, how did you come to know this?"

"I broke into the morgue shortly after he was arrested because I was sure he didn't kill Elizabeth. I was happy to see that I was right and told Wilbert not to worry. The next thing I knew, he was being sentenced to death!"

"Even if what you say is true, why do you think _I'm_ the one responsible? Doesn't it seem much more likely that the police covered this up? I get all my information second hand!"

"They said you'd say that."

"Who?"

"Detective Murdoch...Burdoch and Inspector Brackenreid...Mackenreid."

"Wait a minute...are you saying you did this," I shook my chains, "to both of those men?"

She smiled evilly again and I took that as confirmation. "Once they were...tied up, they both told the same story. They couldn't find another viable suspect. But you wanted to ensure someone was held accountable, so it was your idea to meddle with the findings and implicate Wilbert. They said that if you didn't get your way, you were going to use your considerable influence to make their lives a living hell."

How could this be happening to me?

"They're clearly lying!"

"Their story was pretty convincing. In fact it was almost," a frown crossed her face, "identical...almost word for word."

I was hopeful now that she might let me go.

"There you go! They rehearsed their story before hand! Both of them are in on it!"

"Do you swear you had nothing to do with the cover up? Know now that if I find out you're lying, I will plaster this photo of you all over the city. That would not be very good for business."

"I swear to you that I had nothing to do with this!"

She stared at me thoughtfully for a while. Then she went over to my clothes and tossed them towards me. They landed in a heap on my face but I was only vaguely annoyed about the condition they were likely in now. I shrugged them off and found her standing by one of my restrained hands. She slipped a key into the lock and my arm fell forward, already stiff and sore from being in that unnatural position.

She unlocked the second one and I rubbed my wrists for a few seconds, glaring at her all the while.

"Get dressed," she said, "we've got a murder to solve."


	3. Time to Dig Deeper

I dressed quickly as the abhorrent woman watched.

"Do you mind?" I said annoyed. "I'd like some privacy please."

"What for?" she said smirking, "I've already seen everything." Then she winked for good measure.

I swore from that point on that her charms would no longer work on me. I prayed this case could be put to rights in a short while, though I didn't have high hopes of that. From the sounds of things, I was royally flushed. How was I to best both Detective Burdoch and Inspector Mackenreid?

Right then and there I determined it would be wise to obtain my own first hand findings about the murder, before attempting to implicate either of those gentlemen. For all I knew, this woman was playing mind games with me. I made a mental note to look into her identity when time allowed it.

"Come on then," I said, as I did the last button up on my suit. "We've got no time to waste. Let's start with speaking to Felton's friends and family."

"And why exactly would they want to speak with the man who put their kin in jail? They all saw you during the trial, they know what you look like. It's more likely they'll rip your throat out than help you."

I hadn't thought about that and I had no answer for her.

"That's what I thought. It's no matter. I already spoke with them. They don't have any information pertinent to the case."

"Forgive me if I don't entirely believe your story."

"Don't make me regret letting you go," she said, a bit of anger seeping through. "I didn't have to you know."

"That's true but you need my influence in order to solve this case."

"Is that so?" she said quizzically. "I seem to be doing okay on my own."

"You poor, poor girl," I said sadly. "What happened to you that made you like this? What sort of girl resorts to such tactics? You've acted no better than a common whore."

She glared at me in a furious manner and then slapped my cheek. "How dare you," she said low, dangerous. "How dare you presume to know anything about me." I tried to say something but she raised her hand and said, "Save your sympathies."

We stood in awkward silence for awhile, eyes averted. Finally I had to say something.

"What was the next stage of your plan?"

"To use your confession to get Wilbert released."

"You don't have an alternate plan?" I asked surprised.

"I didn't say that," she said grimacing slightly.

* * *

Half an hour later I entered the morgue near station house three.

"Excuse me," I said cordially to the attractive blond woman, "are you by any chance doctor Ogden...**Mogden**?"

"Why yes I am," she said not looking up from a book of poetry. "And who might you be?"

"I'm Corge Grabtree, prosecutor for the Kirvish firm."

That got her attention and she put her book down in order to shake my hand.

"What can I do for you today, prosecutor?"

"I was wondering if you were familiar with the Felton case from April? He was accused of killing his wife."

She thought about that for a few seconds. "Her name was Elizabeth, right?"

"Yes, that's the one."

"What about it?"

"I was hoping you might be willing to conduct an autopsy."

She raised her eyebrows at that. "You want me to autopsy someone who has already been autopsied? Why on earth would I do that?"

"There are doubts as to the guiltiness of Mr. Felton."

"I see. I'm curious though, why did you choose me to help you? There are many other pathologists in Toronto but you chose the one woman of the bunch. Not many would do that."

"I heard you were the best and that you were extremely trustworthy."

"Oh? From who?"

"As I understand it, she's an old friend of yours."

"If that's the case, then why isn't she with you?"

"You had a falling out of sorts."

"Wait a minute! Are you talking about Emily...**Gemily**?"

"I suppose so, I never did learn her name."

"Yes," Mogden said sourly, "she was never one for being forthcoming with information."

"So you'll help me then?"

"On two conditions."

"Name them."

"Firstly you have to get legal authorization to exhume the body. I'm not going to be dragged down in one of her schemes, not again."

"I don't foresee a problem on that score."

"Secondly, I want you to bring her to me. I have some choice words I'd like to share with her."

I grimaced at that. This was the one thing Gemily didn't want to do.

"I'll see what I can do."

* * *

After much poking and prodding, I succeeded in convincing the voluptuous vixen to speak with her old friend. I didn't witness their long overdo reunion but based on the way Gemily acted afterwards, I'd say she was taught some manners. She seemed to be humbled from then on out and acting the way a proper lady should.

While they had been hashing things out, I had the unpleasant task of convincing the Harten family to give me permission to exhume their daughter's body. At first they were disgusted with such a notion but when I explained some of the particulars, they warmed up to the idea. The last thing they wanted was an innocent man, (especially one they had grown fond of) to be hanged for a crime he didn't commit.

With their consent, it was a simple matter of acquiring the necessary documentation. So it was that by the time Gemily had finished being told off by her friend, we were ready to dig up the grave. Or more specifically, the cemetery grounds keeper would be doing it. After all, I had never laboured more than a dozen days in my life and besides which, my shoes were far too exquisite to get dirty.

* * *

The middle aged man took a very long time to dig up the grave but now he had finally reached the coffin. He pulled back the lid and we all gasped. The coffin was empty! Elizabeth Harten was nowhere to be found!


	4. Bar Bait

What did this mean? I wasn't foolish enough to believe in the notion of zombies or other such nonsense (besides, there were no claw marks or anything on the wood) so that left only one of two options. Either the body had been moved somewhere else, which would be highly reprehensible but not unlikely given the strange events thus far. Or Elizabeth was not dead after all; had never been killed; which was absurd but not out of the realm of possibility.

The groundskeeper couldn't explain her disappearance and begged me not to put him in jail. I told him to get a grip on himself and answer my questions.

"Did you notice anyone suspicious hanging around here in the last couple of days?"

I asked this now because it occurred to me then that the ground _had_ looked a little loose before he began digging, as though someone had recently dug it up, as if they were trying to move their indiscretion to another location.

"Now that you mention it, sir," he said eagerly, "there were two blokes who visited this very grave the other night."

"What did these two gentlemen look like?"

"I didn't get a good look because it was dark out but one was a big burly guy with red hair and the other was shorter and had dark hair."

I exchanged a look with Gemily. For the first time, I was really starting to believe her story and she knew it based on the smug smile she now gave me. It appeared that Mogden's tongue lashing was already beginning to wear thin and it would only be a matter of time before she was back to her frustrating old self. I tried not to think about that and instead focused on the task at hand.

"Did you see them dig this grave up?"

The poor man gave him a shocked look and said, "Of course not! I would have put a stop to it right away if I had!"

Either he was telling the truth or they had paid him off. Or there was a third option.

"Did they by any chance notice you watching them?"

"As a matter of fact, I believe they did. The dark haired one looked over my way and then shortly after they left."

"And when was this?"

"Ten o'clock Thursday, just as I was leaving for the night."

Three days ago, right around the time Gemily said she had given Mackenreid a tour of her bedroom. So they had wanted to remove any possibility of another autopsy, eh?

I thanked the man and we were on our way to discuss things in private and plan our next move. We came to the conclusion that there was no way to figure out what they had done with the body short of a confession. Since that was off the table for the time being, we would have to explore other less desirable avenues of investigation.

* * *

"You want me to _what_?" shouted Mogden in Gemily's face.

"We need your help Jules," she said unaffected.

"Yes, believe me doctor, if there were another course of action, we would take it."

"And why can't you ask someone else to do this?"

I responded, "The fewer people who know the details surrounding the case, the better."

"How is it that after I swore I would _never_ be a part of one of your ridiculous schemes again, here I am contemplating just such a thing?"

Gemily gave her a great big smile then and said, "Because deep down you know you love it."

Mogden gave her a stern look as if she would slap her but then abruptly her posture relaxed and she grinned back at her. Sighing, "Oh all right, I'll help you out."

* * *

Gemily and I sat in the back of the police bar and watched the goings on discreetly. We had ordered some food and drink so as not to be suspicious. Mogden was front and centre and attracting all sorts of unwanted attention as she sipped at her gin and tonic. I felt badly for her but there was nothing I could do because she needed to stand out for our plan to have any chance of working. It was small consolation that the men would eventually take the hint and move on to the next unattended lady.

Finally the man of the hour showed up, a little later than expected but better late than never. Burdoch began scouting out the room and we immediately became fascinated by our food so as to hide our faces. Then as calculated, as hoped, he saw Mogden and headed straight for her.

They appeared to be exchanging pleasantries, at least she laughed several times which seemed to please Burdoch to no end. He gestured to the seat beside her, she nodded and he sat down and ordered both of them drinks. Now it was just a matter of time before he would be ours.

In the meantime, and to my utter annoyance, Gemily kept trying to have a conversation with me, but I told her to be quiet because we didn't want to miss our queue. We only had one shot at this and if we blew it, it was game over. That settled matters and soon our food became as cold as her manner towards me.

I glared at the happy laughing couple and wondered when they would finally get out of there. As if sensing my thoughts, Burdoch stood up, albeit a bit sloppily and held out his arm for Mogden. She gladly took it and together they left the bar. I promptly paid for our dinner and then held out my arm for Gemily. She took it begrudgingly and we followed our prey in a parallel fashion, making sure not to get too close.

As planned, Mogden was letting Burdoch lead the way to wherever he so desired. We didn't want him getting suspicious after the last time a woman had so blatantly given him her favour. Arm in arm we followed them through the park, pretending to admire the foliage, for what seemed like ages until he went off in a different direction, towards his own home on Ontario...**Fontaine** Street.

Since his land lady Mrs. Kitchen...**Cook**, did not allow visitors, especially those of the opposite sex past nine o'clock at night, Burdoch was forced to lead Mogden in through a secret back entrance. If I wasn't much mistaken, and upon closer inspection, it appeared as though he had devised the entrance himself. Which begged the question, how many women was he in the habit of entertaining?

I assumed a great deal and it was not surprising given the specimen. It was quite obvious that Burdoch was a handsome man, what with his artfully slicked back hair and impeccably kept body...**suit**.

We waited a little while before entering after them and immediately came face to face with the business end of a pistol.


	5. Trapped!

Burdoch held the gun inches away from my face and as a result I was terrified. Eventually I managed to look around a bit and saw Mogden unconscious on the ground. Gemily tried to go to her but Burdoch said, "Not so fast dear," and she stopped dead in her tracks. "You couldn't leave well enough alone, could you?"

"Not when an innocent man is going to be hanged tomorrow!" said Gemily loudly.

I thought I knew what she was doing, she wanted to alert the boarding house to our dire situation in the basement and get the constabulary involved.

Burdoch smiled and said, "Yell all you want sweetie, there's no one here but us."

"You're bluffing," she said.

"By all means, try to get someone to come down here. Know this though, if you succeed, you'll be the first one to die."

"Are you insane man?" I asked. "There's no need to make this a worse situation than it already is. Just confess your crime to the constabulary and leave it at that."

"Why would I do that when I have the power to make the problem go away? Why would I hang if I don't have to?"

"Because it's the right thing to do, you fiend!" yelled Gemily losing her temper. "Don't you have a conscience?"

"Of course I do, but I can always just find redemption by going to confession. You can get away with pretty much anything in the Catholic faith as long as you repent afterwards. Now step away from the entrance and sit down on the floor over there. We're going to have a little chat."

We did as he said and I shuddered to think of what the dirty floor was doing to my expensive suit trousers. He lowered his weapon and I felt slightly more confident in my survival.

"You won't get away with this," said Gemily tensely.

"Why shouldn't I?" Burdoch said shrugging, "I managed to before." Gemily shared a look with me. "Yes, that's right, I admit I killed Elizabeth. But you don't know the whole story. I was in love with her and-"

Gemily snorted at that. "Like you're capable of love."

Burdoch scowled and continued his narrative. "While it's true that we were having an affair, our relationship went far beyond that of our...intimate relations. At least this was true for me. I begged her to leave her husband and be mine but she refused. In my anger I accidentally struck her with the cane in my hand, she fell and..." He was silent for a moment but neither of us interrupted. "I was beside myself when I realized what I had done but there was no saving her, it was too late. Eventually some sense came back to me and I wiped the crime scene clean and left."

"If it was an accident, why did you not simply say that?" I inquired.

"Being implicated with something like that could have ruined my career and I'm so close to becoming Inspector. I couldn't risk the exposure, whether or not I was acquited of my crime."

Gemily spoke next. "And how exactly do you propose to get rid of three prominent members of society without risking exposure?"

_Three? I can't imagine she has a reputable profession._

He smiled again and said, "The same way I did last time. With help."

Then he backed away from us, gun raised until he neared the secret exit, turned around and left. I could hear the sound of a lock sliding into place and then no more. Immediately afterwards, Gemily and I jumped into action. She checked on her friend and I tried the exits, both the secret and regular. Neither was budging an inch.

I headed back to the women, head down in despair, wondering how we could possibly get out of this mess.

"How is she fairing?"

"Assuming we don't get murdered tonight, she'll make a full recovery."

"You seem rather sure of yourself which makes me curious as to your profession."

"I'm a nurse at the Toronto General Hospital." I couldn't help but be surprised by this given her lack of appropriate people skills. "Don't look so shocked, Corge. I admit that most of the time I don't really feel like I belong there but recently it's been extremely rewarding. I feel like I'm finally starting to make a difference." She paused for a second as if in deep thought. "I haven't known you long, but I feel like I can trust you, so full disclosure: I'm the one who has secretly been pushing the contraceptive measures in this city."

My jaw dropped. As I had never really given that subject much thought, I wasn't really sure what my views were. Regardless, I couldn't help but feel a sense of awe in her presence. Would this woman stop at nothing to have her way?

"Okay, now _that_ is the appropriate response," she said smirking and then even laughed.

"How are you staying so calm? We're liable to be killed at any moment!"

"Because I know something that you don't, Corge."

"And what would that be?"

I stared at her incredulously as she stuck her hand in between her bosom.

_ Now what kind of depraved nonsense was she going to pull?_

She held up a tiny two bullet peashooter and then tucked it back into her hiding place.

I smiled a little then and she continued, "And that's not the best part...Mogden's got one too."


	6. Who Will be the Victor?

We sat in silence from that point on until Mogden awoke. She appeared to be confused and then rubbed the back of her head where she had been struck, wincing as her fingers made contact with the now rather large bump. Gemily came over to her and began checking her pupils.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, which in my opinion was a fairly pointless question. Apparently Mogden thought so too for she responded in kind.

"How do you think?" she said grumpily and groaned. Mogden's eyes became more focused now and she scanned the basement, eyes resting on me momentarily before they found Gemily again. "What have you gotten me into this time?"

Gemily had the good grace to be abashed by this question before responding. "Burdoch found us out, locked us in here and most likely plans to kill us soon."

"What?!" Mogden yelped and then jumped up, swaying slightly from wooziness.

Now _this_ was the appropriate response to our situation, not the cool, calm demeanour of her good intentioned yet trouble finding friend.

Gemily tried to help her find her balance but Mogden was having no part of it. She yanked her arm from her grasp and then staggered a few feet in my direction. I tried to hide how terrified I truly was but didn't quite manage this. The doctor gave me a small, pitying smile before turning around again.

"I'm assuming you have an alternate plan, you always did before."

Gemily seemed puzzled by this comment. "Don't you remember the gun I gave you before?"

"Gun, what gun?"

"You must have sustained more damage to your skull than I previously thought." She glanced at her friends chest and Mogden felt the pistol briefly through the fabric. The pathologist started to smile but then we heard a scraping sound nearby and it vanished without a trace. Someone was opening the locked door up!

A familiar looking gun could be seen a split second before it's unsavoury master. Burdoch entered the room briskly, giving us no chance to form any kind of attack. He backed us up into the wall without a single word being spoken. Not long after, Mackenreid entered the dank space, gun holstered to his hip like a common cowboy. His eyes widened when he saw the scene before him.

"Bloody hell, Burdoch!" he exclaimed. "You didn't tell me there were three of them! I thought it was just the she devil you had caught!" He scowled at Gemily for a second and she scowled back. Mackenreid looked closer at me as he approached and his eyes became the size of saucers. "Is that prosecutor Grabtree?"

"Yes," he replied coldly, "and that woman,"- he waved the gun in Mogden's direction- "is the pathologist at station house three."

Oh, I thought dismayed, that explains how he realized what was going on. We should have known better than to use her but she was the best option at the time. I just hope we don't pay for our mistake with our lives!

"How did you know that?" asked Mogden. "We've never worked together before."

"I make it my business to know everyone involved with the constabulary. Call it a passing interest if you will. But even if I hadn't recognized you, I would have known something was afoot because your friends weren't as discrete as they thought they were."

I shared a sheepish look with Gemily that was cut short by another explosion from Mackenreid.

"Goddamn it Burdoch! Forget the idle chit-chat! What the bloody hell do you think you're going to do about this mess?"

A hard, steel like glint shined in his eyes and he said darkly, "Whatever is necessary."

I felt a chill run through me then and doubted very much that Gemily's back up plan would have any chance of working. There were more of us sure, but they were far more deadly.

Mackenreid sighed and said softly, "Look Burdoch, you know I'm your best mate but I can't be a party to this." The detective turned sideways to face the inspector, open mouthed. Then he got angry.

"What are you saying Thomas...**Robert**?" he said advancing on him, pushing him into the opposite corner. "Are you saying you'll let _me_ hang instead? Would you really choose them over me?"

Mackenreid looked guilty for a moment but that passed and his voice became hard again. "I've already covered up more than I should have. If you go down for this, we both will. And I have a family to provide for. I can't leave the boys...**girls** to fend for themselves if I get the noose. Margaret...**Maggie**, God rest her soul, would be so ashamed of me if she knew what I've done. Just think of Elizabeth, Burdoch-"

"Don't you dare bring her name into this!" he shouted. "It's a little late to turn back now _friend_. If you don't help me again, I'll guarantee you'll be found out as a corrupt copper."

Mackenreid got a ferocious expression across his face and his hands had balled up into fists by his sides. Then the right one relaxed and hovered over his holster. Burdoch noticed this and raised his own weapon to Mackenreid's chest, not three feet between them.

"Go on, I dare you. You're a fast draw old friend but even you're not that fast." Mackenreid moved his hand away. "Good. Now Mr. Prosecutor," he called, "I need you to retrieve that gun for me. And don't try any funny business or it will be your undoing."

He said it as if I was going to see through the night and not be buried God knows where. I hastened to comply with his demand. When the gun was in my hand I half thought of trying to use it but I fought the mad desire down like a champion pugilist. This decision was made all the easier by what was occurring behind Burdoch's back and was likely the reason Mackenreid had given up so easily in the first place. I did my best not to smile as I handed over the weapon. He emptied it of it's deadly cargo and tossed it off to the side.

"There, now everything is as it should be."

"Not quite," said Gemily, gun cocked and pressed against the back of his head.

"Not by a long shot," said Mogden, also with gun raised but further away.

Burdoch closed his eyes in consternation but then quickly opened them again.

"This is the part where you drop your weapon," said Gemily. "Or would you rather I redecorate this hideous basement with a startling shade of red?"

He lowered his weapon but just as Gemily tried to take it from him, he whirled around and grabbed her, placing his gun to her head and using her as a human shield against Mogden. Burdoch squeezed her wrist until she dropped the peashooter. For the first time she had a look of pure terror on her face and it broke my heart.

"Stop this right now!" I hollered, suddenly violently emotional over the turn of events. Where previously all I had felt for her was lust and then loathing, I now experienced a sensation I had never felt before. It was as if someone had stuck a knife in my side and the life was slowly draining from me. I was desperate to save her but powerless to do so. "It's over Burdoch! You've lost!"

"I'll be the judge of when this is over!" he said as he backed away towards the exit.

Mogden kept her gun trained on them the whole time but never had an opportunity and I suspected, the nerve, to attempt taking a shot with her friend in harms way. No matter how much bad blood was between them, she would never wish her dead. And neither would I, though I did not know if I would have a choice in the matter if things continued on their current route.

Again we heard the lock sliding into place and nothing more.

What were we to do?


	7. What Lies Beneath

Once we had all gotten over the shock of what had just transpired, we sprung into action. I ran over to the door and rammed it with my shoulder, the only result of which was that I recoiled in shear agony and tore my finely tailored suit. Mackenreid tried as well and if anyone was going to be able to budge it, he was. Unfortunately he had little more luck than I did.

I began to despair when Mogden told us to step aside. She levelled her peashooter at the door where she likely estimated the lock would be placed and fired. The shot rang out louder than I would have thought for so small a device. But it was more bang than bite, it didn't manage to strike gold, it only got about half way through the thick metal door. I realized something obvious then, that we should simply try the regular entrance. Surely it would be easier to budge than this makeshift one?

It was then that we heard a clicking sound and we turned to see that Mackenreid had loaded his weapon again. Mogden pointed her own at him but he paid her no mind, he simply marched over to the steel doors and pulled the trigger, precisely where the doctor had. The bullet struck through all the metal as evidenced by the small hole currently producing a beam of moonlight in this gloomy dungeon. The question was whether or not the locking mechanism had been broken. Mackenreid shoved his shoulder hard against it and it seemed to give way but was stubbornly stuck on something. He gestured towards me and together we pushed on it, the barrier finally giving way with our combined efforts.

This task had been so difficult because Burdoch had also wedged something in-between the hinges. I didn't spend any time to investigate this further because it was of little consequence. What mattered was that we were finally free and had a madman to track down. Neither Mogden nor I was particularly fond of the fact that Mackenreid now had more firepower than us but there was little we could do about it. For the moment he was on our side, though when this was all over, it was hard to say what would happen then.

"Damn!" the inspector barked out as we were bathed in the moonlight once more. "He's taken the carriage!"

He started to take off and we chased after him, with no regard for us whatsoever.

I called out, "What about us?"

Mackenreid glanced over his shoulder and yelled, "You're civilians and you have no business being part of this any longer!"

"I demand to come along!"

"As do I!" said Mogden sternly.

"Oh bloody hell!" was his only response to this and I assumed he was done fighting our wishes.

"Shouldn't we get backup or something?" I enquired logically, coming up beside him.

"No," he said, shifting his eyes, "that won't be necessary. I can handle him myself."

"Yes because you did such a good job of it up till now," said Mogden snarkily.

"Trust me," he growled, "I won't be making any mistakes this time. He's crossed a line that he can't come back from. Life as he knows it is over."

Without further ado he really took off and speech was no longer possible. Mackenreid commandeered the first carriage we came across by flashing his badge and we hopped in while he took the reigns. I didn't know where we were going or how we were possibly going to find Burdoch before the unthinkable happened. As a result I prayed harder than I had ever prayed in my life. I desired to find Gemily safe and unharmed more than I desired the newest suit imported in from Italy. Again and again her terrified expression echoed through my mind to the point where I felt madness creeping in and I could no longer concentrate on anything else. Mogden must have sensed my distress for she took my trembling hand in hers and by infinitesimal increments I began to feel the benefit of a woman's touch.

Before I knew it we had arrived at our destination, wherever that may be. All I could discern from the small window out the back was that we were nearby a forested area. When I pushed open the door I found there was another carriage in front of ours. A terrible knot formed in my stomach when I saw a piece of ripped fabric beneath the passenger side, it was the same colour as Gemily's dress. I didn't have long to dwell on this discovery because Mackenreid was once again taking off, this time into the deep dark woods. Understandably this unnerved me and one glance at Mogden was enough to tell me that she felt much the same way. But we were both determined enough to see this through to blindly follow his lead, for better or for worse.

As we traversed the hazardous terrain in near darkness (the trees were so thick that little moonlight could creep through), I couldn't help but ask, "How did you know he'd come here?"

All I received in reply was, "I just did."

"But how?"

"Be quiet," he whispered, "we're almost there. If we want this to work, we need the element of surprise."

We crept up as if on pins and needles from this point on until we came to a small clearing. The moonlight was able to pierce this area better than the last and we could see the horrifying scene before us in clear detail. Burdoch was making Gemily dig a hole while he kept his gun trained on her every movement. But beside them, there was another mound of earth, and I instantly knew where we were. This was Elizabeth's newest resting place, and quite possibly, mine as well.

I instinctively tried to go to her but Mackenreid held out his arm to bar my path. He put his finger to his lips and then began creeping towards them, gun raised.

"I see you've found me," said Burdoch and Mackenreid stopped, as did Gemily. I groaned internally and began inching my way towards the other side of them, through the cover of the trees. Mogden followed my lead. "Keep going sweetie, you're almost there."

The feisty nurse cursed him as she began digging once more.

"What gave me away?" asked the inspector.

"You've been sweating a lot recently, haven't you?" he said smirking, "almost as much as this lovely little lady over here. It was quite true, as we got closer I could see how drenched in sweat she was and how much she had begun to shiver in the numbing coldness, even her vigorous efforts could not combat that tide. "And I'd know your stink anywhere my friend."

"It's over, mate," said Mackenreid sadly. "This has to end."

"Does it?" he said smiling pleasantly. "It seems to me that my plan is unfolding very similar to how I envisioned it would. After all, I know you didn't come alone. So where are they?"

"You're wrong, I wouldn't let them come. This is between you and me now."

"Hello out there!" he called. "Show yourselves or be responsible for her death." We shared a look and then walked out into the clearing, feeling completely exposed and vulnerable. I caught Gemily's eye and tried to impart more courage than I actually felt. "That's better. Now that we're all here, we can finish this once and for all."

"I'm warning you, Burdoch!" exclaimed the inspector. "If you hurt them I'll have no choice but to put you down!"

"Oh I doubt that very much. If you were going to kill me, you would have done so by now. I know very well that you've had that gun of yours pointed at my back this whole time. But you just don't have the gumption to do it. I mean too much to you and that's your weakn-"

A shot rang out and Burdoch's smile faltered. He looked down at the small hole through his stomach and appeared fascinated by the blood gushing out. He clutched at his abdomen and then fell to his knees. The detective tried to raise his weapon at Gemily but she hit him over the head with the shovel and he crumpled face first into the dirt pile, the blood mingling and creating a Godawful mess.

It would be so easy to dump his barely breathing body into the hole Gemily had slaved over. In a way that would be a fitting end, to finally get to be with the one he so cherished in life. But that end was too good for him, he wasn't going to be allowed to dodge a second bullet. What he had done would come to light, I would make sure of it. Assuming of course that Mackenreid didn't change his mind right now and save himself a lot of paperwork.

The inspector had a haunted look on his face and his gun was still raised. Mogden went over to the detective and threw his gun into the pit beside them. Then she turned him over and did her best to bandage him up and stem the tied of blood. Apparently Gemily wasn't feeling as helpful for she just stood there and watched the goings on, almost impassively.

"I've done the best I could," said the pathologist, "but if we don't get him some proper care soon, he will die, of that there can be no doubt. You two gentlemen will need to carry him."

I went over to Mackenreid and lowered his gun arm. He seemed startled out of a reverie. He holstered his gun as I led him over to the body and together we lifted him up. I tried not to grimace too much at how much the blood was ruining my suit. All five of us made our way back to the carriages. The doctor and Mackenreid shared the one with Burdoch and I drove the one with Gemily inside. Now it would appear that the detectives fate was left in God's hands.


	8. Happy Endings

**A bit M-ish at the end.**

* * *

Despite ourselves and everything Burdoch had put us through, here we were at Toronto General, awaiting the verdict for our would be killer. It was not my usual setting and not surprisingly I was uncomfortable and uneasy. In a court room I had command over everyone's attention and I always had complete control of the situation. Here the reverse held true and I hated being out of my element.

Somehow I found myself holding Gemily's hand, who in turn was holding Mogden's. I felt a bit bad for Mackenreid to be so all alone in what must have been a difficult time for him, but made no effort to go over to him.

Then I found myself thinking of what if scenario's. What if Burdoch died? Would the truth die with him? Would Mackenreid step up to the plate? What if he didn't? Would we be forced to speak out instead and go against the might of the constabulary? Certainly I was an influential man within my own circles but within the police force, there was no telling what they would do if I dared to go against one of their own, especially such a decorated one. I hoped it didn't come to that but only time would tell.

A surgeon came out now and gave Gemily the second nod of the evening and this time even touched her shoulder. He seemed to be a little too familiar with her for my tastes and I felt a vicious pang of jealousy come out of nowhere. She glanced at me sideways and I realized I was crushing her hand. I let both their hands go for fear of the same thing happening again.

"Franklin," she said standing up, "what was the outcome?"

"I'm afraid he passed-"

"OH NO!" bellowed Mackenreid, punching a wall. "NO, NO, NO!"

"Sir!" exclaimed Franklin loudly, "please calm down! I wasn't finished speaking!"

We glanced at each other in turn and wondered how there was anymore to say.

"As I tried to say before, he passed but then we managed to resuscitate him. It was a very near thing and he's extremely lucky to still be alive. He's been asking for you."

"Who?" I asked. "Do you mean the inspector?"

"No, I mean all of you."

"Thank you for seeing me," he said weakly yet surprisingly chipper, "and for saving my life."

"Trust me," said Gemily, "it wasn't my idea. I was content to just leave you there in that terrible pit of despair."

"I know," he said smiling, "and I feel horrible about everything I put you all through."

"Then why are you smiling?" asked Mogden.

"Because I had a wonderful experience when I died. My soul rose up from my body and I could see everything that was happening below. But I didn't seem to care that my physical existence was at an end. I was at peace with the world and no longer felt any pain. Then I floated up through the ceiling and into the clouds and found myself in heaven." We all shared a look at that. "Yes, I know it's hard to believe-"

"Which part?" asked Gemily sarcastically. "That any of that insanity actually happened or that _you_ would be allowed into heaven?"

He disregarded that statement and continued his story. "In heaven I was forced to confront every bad thing I had ever done, most recently this whole fiasco. I was horrified by everything I had done, everyone I had hurt and begged to come back to earth so that I could make amends." Gemily snorted. "And that's exactly what I intend to do. Tomorrow morning I will make a full confession and Mr. Felton will be cleared of all charges. Furthermore," he continued, glancing at Mackenreid, "I will say I acted alone and your name need not be dragged into this mess."

"I can't let you do that, mate," said the inspector, voice thick with emotion. "I was your accomplice and-"

"Never mind that, Robert, there's no reason that your life should be ruined as well."

"But-"

"Think of your children. Think of what will happen to them if you lose your job. And we both know that that would be the least of your worries." He stared deeply into each of our eyes in turn as he said, "I'm truly sorry for everything that happened. I don't expect your forgiveness-"

"Good cause you're not getting it," said Gemily angrily.

"I forgive you," said Mackenreid clasping his friends hand.

Burdoch's smile got wider. "I had hoped you would."

I felt I had to say something. "I'll forgive you after you've made your statement and Mr. Felton is released."

"I'll take what I can get," he said and then closed his eyes, his hand slipping out of Mackenreids.

No one spoke for several seconds.

"Is he-" began Mogden.

"No," said Mackenreid, fingers pressed to his neck, "he's just fallen asleep."

"What a night," said Mogden as we left.

What a night indeed.

In the morning, we found that Burdoch was true to his word. He confessed his sins with a smile on his face and Felton was released just hours before his scheduled hanging. The look of relief on his face was infectious. It was nice to just let the feeling wash over me for awhile. The last few days had been far too stressful, which was saying something given my line of work. I watched as Gemily embraced her friend and once again experienced an irrational hatred towards a man for a woman that wasn't even my own. It was then that I knew what I had to do, what I desperately wanted. But now was not the time or place. I would need to wait out their joyful reunion for a little while longer. As it turned out, it was a full week before I finally made my move.

She was in the park to feed the birds when I 'accidentally' happened upon her.

"You're very good at that," I said, unintentionally frightening her. She had been jumpy ever since that night. I supposed with time she would get over it but either way, it didn't matter to me.

"Yes, because feeding pigeons is a difficult skill to learn."

"I was just trying to-"

"I know what you were _trying _to do," she said and winked at me, making my heart melt. "But you appear to be out of practice."

"Yes, well," I said rubbing my neck, "I've been rather busy as of late."

"Excuses, excuses," she said merrily. "This is what you should have said: 'Good afternoon Gemily. You look very lovely today. Would you care to take a stroll with me?" She impersonated my voice surprisingly well.

"You're very good at that," I said smiling and she laughed.

I held out my arm and she took it and our walk to remember commenced. The walk itself wasn't extraordinary, no, it was simply the starting point. For as you see, it was this walk that started a chain reaction of the most wondrous things that life has to offer. I won't bore you with the list though, it would take far too long.

And now this story concludes in a similar fashion to how it began, that of a certain young woman seducing her husband on their wedding night.

She led me over to the bed in an almost shy manner, which I thought was very endearing.

Then she whispered in my ear, "Undress me," and I hastily and clumsily complied. The elegant white dress was easy enough to slip over her head but the corset beneath was an entirely different matter. I never knew that they could be so difficult to get undone but I persevered until the task was finally accomplished. She turned towards me then and for the first time I beheld her glorious bosom. I was so mesmerized that she started to blush and turn away but I clasped her head in my hands and said quietly, "No, don't do that my love."

I quickly removed my own shirt and she ran her finger down my chest, stopping right above my navel. This action sent a delightful shiver down my spine and I could no longer control myself. I started kissing her fervently and she responded in kind, our hungry lips devouring one another. I pressed her close to me and the feel of her bosom against my bare chest was exhilarating, so much so that my face became hot and I felt my organ harden and press against the inside of my trousers. She must have felt it too for she began removing them. The anticipation of what would come next was sending me into a whirlwind of ecstasy. Once my member had been liberated, she abruptly got up and moved away from me.

"What's wrong?" I choked out confused and frustrated.

Instead of responding she continued over to the closet and rummaged around in there for a bit. When she stood up she was holding a pair of handcuffs, one cuff in each hand. She smiled at me mischievously and said, "Let's play."


End file.
